“Unconscionable,” an “unforced ridiculous error,” “cruel,” and “insane” — Gov. Tim Walz didn’t hold back when describing his feelings about the month-long federal government shutdown and the reasons behind it.

He expressed his frustrations with the shutdown Thursday while hosting a roundtable discussion at a St. Paul affordable housing complex where residents are growing anxious that the federal benefits they rely upon will soon dry up.

“Let’s be very clear, you will never be able to convince me holding these people hostage and terrorizing them over their housing has anything to do with the discussion,” Walz said about shutting down nine government agencies over border security.

Walz, who left Congress less than a month ago to become Minnesota’s 41st governor, added that there needed to be a debate about border security but added that the shutdown isn’t a way to do it.

Already about 6,000 federal workers in Minnesota are no longer getting paychecks. The shutdown’s impact in the state is growing ever deeper every day.

‘IT’S GOING TO GET WORSE’

Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho visited Kings Crossing in St. Paul to discuss the impact of the shutdown on affordable housing. The 49-unit facility is one of four subsidized housing complexes run by Episcopal Homes.

Elderly residents of Kings Crossing told Walz about their growing fear that the federal benefits they rely upon will run out because of the lapse in government funding.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is closed because of the shutdown as is the Department of Agriculture, which administers the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, many seniors rely on.

“I manage on the monies that I get,” resident Jacque Polk said of her fixed retirement income. “But it’s so difficult for so many. There are so many out there without. … It’s going to get worse.”

Walz warned that damage has already been done and the long-term costs of the standoff remains unknown.

STATE COSTS SO FAR: $150 MILLION

So far, state leaders have been able to mitigate the shutdown impact on social programs that help low-income residents. But the longer the lapse in federal funding, the more it costs, and it remains unclear how long Minnesota can make up the gap.

The state receives about $1 billion a month in federal funding. State funds have already covered about $150 million in federal reimbursements.

State leaders need to figure out by mid February how much it will cost to keep Minnesotans from being hurt by the shutdown.

Nationwide, 40 million people rely on SNAP with 400,000 of them living in Minnesota. About 28,000 Minnesota households receive Section 8 housing vouchers.

SNAP recipients recently received benefits for February and it is unclear when they will receive funding again. Section 8 housing vouchers are also expected to run out in the coming weeks if the government is not funded.

IT’S PERSONAL FOR LEADERS

Flanagan, who often describes how her family relied on public programs when she was young, said the state would do whatever it can to help mitigate the impact.

“This issue is very personal for me,” Flanagan said. “My family relied on the very programs that are being impacted today by this shutdown. Families can’t afford the shutdown. Minnesota can’t afford the shutdown.”

ADDED STRESS TO HOUSING SUPPLY

The focus of Thursday’s roundtable with state leaders was how the shutdown is affecting affordable housing, which is already in short supply in Minnesota. Landlords who receive federal subsidies to keep rents down have been told to dip into their reserves to make ends meet during the shutdown.

Margaret Kaplan, of the Housing Justice Center, said for a lot of property owners using savings to make up for vouchers and other payments just is not feasible. Furthermore, the threat of delayed government subsidies makes it harder to get developers and landlords to invest in new affordable housing.

“We are starting to lose the power of one of our best arguments,” Kaplan said.

HOW DID WE GET HERE?

About a third of the federal government has been without funding since before Christmas because Congress and President Donald Trump have been unable to agree on a spending plan.

Trump has demanded $5.7 billion for a barrier at the southern U.S. border with Mexico. Democrats in Congress have rejected that idea and offered up new money for border security.

The U.S. Senate didn’t gather enough votes Thursday afternoon to move forward two competing proposals to reopen the government.

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